UK pork industry to draw up labelling code of practice

A new code of practice on the labelling of pork and pork products is to be drawn up following agreement by pig producers, processors, major food retailers, and the food service sector.

Tuesday 15 December 2009 (9 years 5 months 10 days ago)

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A new code of practice on the labelling of pork and pork products is to be drawn up following agreement by pig producers, processors, major food retailers, and the food service sector.

As well as origin labelling the code will also seek to provide greater clarity and consistency in the use of product definitions, such as ‘outdoor reared’, and use of breed names on labels.

The code of practice is set to be finalised at the Task Force meeting in February 2010, at which time pig producers, processors, retailers, and the food service sector will be invited to sign up to it. When introduced, companies who have signed up to the code will clearly display the origin of the pork on the front of the packet. Meanwhile, a declaration that the meat is, for example, “British”, will mean that the animal was born, reared, and slaughtered in Britain.

There will also be an end to ambiguous terms such as “Produced in the UK” as the origin of the meat will be declared.

The agreement was reached by members of the Pig Meat Supply Chain Task Force which was brought together by Defra to address issues concerning the sector including labelling, environmental performance, and competitiveness.